Homes Made Right

Summertime BBQ with neighbors

deegibbons — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:57:58 +0000

After we moved to Colorado a couple years ago, I was really worried that with my busy schedule, I wouldn’t find time to form any real friendships with women in my area. Couple the time issues, working full time with 5 kids and volunteering, with a bit of shyness on my part, I was worried that I wouldn’t take the time to get to know anyone. Then we moved into our townhouse community and started meeting our neighbors. At first, I didn’t meet anyone that I felt I shared life circumstances with, but eventually I did. I met other mothers in my community that share similar values to our family and have formed some great friendships with them, as well as our children.

This past Sunday, it really struck home to me, that we have really settled into our new life well. We invited several of our neighbors over and had a potluck bbq. My husband, Rob, grilled chicken, salmon, steak, hamburgers and hot dogs and the other families brought the side dishes. It was a beautiful day and while we were waiting for the meat to finish, the kids played out front in the greenbelt. We had 2 yoga mats going, line dancing, music, bikes, skateboards and even a fire spinner. (no we didn’t hire someone. Our neighbor has an interesting hobby.) We had teens, tweens, toddlers and babies. Sitting back, watching the kids play and the adults enjoying each other’s company, I hugged my husband, planted a kiss on his cheek and felt such joy in knowing that not only had our lives improved significantly with the move, but I felt truly at peace and joyfully blessed to be where I am today.

Tagged: bbq, family, fun, life circumstances, move, summer

Quick and easy craft fun for toddlers

deegibbons — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:58:05 +0000

Toddlers are the most inquisitive creatures and love to learn new things. What better way to help them learn than to introduce new crafts. Crafts do not have to be labor intensive. Your toddler doesn’t have to look like the poor kid in the image. In fact, many crafts are designed for toddlers and are available at the local crafts store like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. In addition to finding kits at the local craft store, you can also use regular household goods such as crayons, paper and even pasta to encourage your toddler’s creativity. We keep a large supply of various craft items in 18 gallon plastic bin where the kids can freely grab items to create a craft project on a whim.

* Foam containers – there are many projects available for children that involve foam. Foam is very easy to maneuver and does not rip as easily as paper making it a versatile project for children. Consider making foam masks or even foam characters such as dinosaurs, dogs, etc. Save the building activities for a later age when children are more adept to working with glue.

* Toddlers love to draw and color. Provide a box of crayons, some paper and watch the children get inspired. Children can be taught to draw new items or simply left to doodle on their own. Ask them to describe what they are drawing; it will fuel their imaginations even more! To add another element to the drawing, give your child stickers to play with and place on the paper. Be sure to give your child a variety of stickers so they can choose what they want to use.

* Pasta creations – There are many things that toddlers can create with pasta. Wheels can be used as tires on cars, ziti noodles and some string can be used to create bracelets and necklaces. Use markers to color the pasta before using the noodles to craft, your child will come up with a colorful creation for sure.

* Paper Crafts – let your toddler create a card for someone special. Cards can be made with glitter, with adult supervision of course. Help your toddler spell out what they want the card to say, then have them trace the lines with a glitter marker. Glitter markers are better than actual glitter because the markers already have the glue in them – easy cleanup!

Using the above ideas is a great way to introduce arts and crafts to your toddler. Since toddlers love to learn and absorb new information, crafts are the perfect idea to spark your child’s creative side. All of the ideas provided are quick and easy and allow for minimal mess as well as quick clean up. Crafts can be introduced on a regular basis to keep your child entertained.

Learning to say No

deegibbons — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:29:50 +0000

All of you may remember my blog post about not being able to say no when asked to volunteer. If not, you can find it here. Today’s post is in response to that with some ideas on how to say no politely and saving your sanity in the process.

“No” may be a tiny, two-letter word, but it can be your secret weapon. And you can say it. Here are some ways you can say “no” without feeling guilty about it:

Sorry, I’m taking a break.
The number one reason why you should say, “no” occasionally is simply that you deserve a break. You are chef, chauffeur, dish washer, and more. You job never ends on any given day of the week. You deserve a break. If you feel bad for saying “no”, say, “Sorry, I’m taking a break”.

My schedule is full.
We tend to jam-pack our schedule full of activities, leaving time for nothing. Cut back on your kids activities. Start a car pool and share driving responsibilities. Do whatever you can to free up some time in your schedule.

I don’t have time.
You’re headed out the door, rushing to the next appointment when the telephone rings. What do you do? Do you come to a screeching halt and answer the phone? Let’s say you do, and it’s a family member, calling to dump their latest woes on you. Do you stand, tapping your foot impatiently while you roll your eyes and listen to the sob story? This is a typical scene for many moms.

I have another commitment that day.
Say it and mean it. Regularly schedule in time with your family or time alone and if someone ask for your help during that time look in your planner and tell them you have another commitment.

Instead of rushing to be everything to everyone, stop. Ask yourself if you truly have time for whatever comes up. If not, say no by walking away, turning off the ringer on the phone, or not answering the knock at your door. Try to remember that you are a mom—not a super hero. I know. It’s difficult when you want to be everything to everyone. But when you have to say no, people will understand; if they don’t at first, they will get used to it eventually.

How to Draw E-book Sample for Kids

deegibbons — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:08:52 +0000

If you have kids around your house that are artistic, here’s a great freebie for you. Here is a free sample version of the ebook, How To Draw – For Kids that you may want to add to your arsenal of boredom-fighters. It’s a good start for younger kids showing how to draw dinosaurs and stick people walking. Not really recommended for advanced artists. And if you like what you see, you can order the full book on the same page as the freebie.

Free Entrance to National Parks

deegibbons — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:04:15 +0000

Wow, I wish I would have found this sooner! Well, you have a few more days to take advantage of this offer. You can get in for free at more than 100 parks across the nation from April 17-25, 2010? What a great way to spend time with your family and friends! You can check out the details and pick a park (by state) to get the fun started.

Let your life be your message

deegibbons — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:57:12 +0000

I was in Google reader this morning catching up on some reading and came across this post from guest poster Arvind Devalia of Make It Happen, at Zen Habits titled “The Ultimate Minimalist: 5 Powerful Lessons You Can Learn From Gandhi”. His final point struck a note with me. Let your life be your messsage.

My very smart husband always says “people can say what you want to hear, but it’s their actions that tell the truth.” Or in other words “Actions speak louder than words”. There have been many people in my life whose words did not jive with their actions. They were saying what people wanted to hear, but when they took action, we all saw the truth. I always feel my life has been my message, and this has been confirmed by others. I can’t understand the need to play these games. It’s much easier to just be honest with yourself and others than to try to play this game, this charade. Sure, there will be times when people are not happy with what you say or do, but at least you are being authentic.

Be yourself and people will like you. Maybe not ALL people, but enough people. There are enough similarities in the human race to find people who will agree with you just as there are enough differences that will make people NOT agree. But as long as you are living your life honestly and authentically, I don’t think you’ll have any problems making nice. Just something on my mind today….

The Art of Writing

deegibbons — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:54:30 +0000

Our kids are becoming accustomed to typing lol, brb, tmi, wu, wyp and other things into cell phones, instant messengers, and email programs. It’s no wonder that penmanship and spelling have gone out the window for many kids. I am lucky enough that most of my children like to write, whether in poetry form, short stories, comics, or song lyrics.

If you’d like to teach your little kids about the art of writing or just want to give them extra practice you’ll want to grab your copy of What About Penmanship from the Bogart Family Resources

Busy Season or Why Can’t I Say No?

deegibbons — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:37:19 +0000

I don’t know about you all, but when school starts in September, life just seems to explode. Between keeping up with kids school work, extracurricular activities and parties, and holding down a full time job while trying to blog in several places and be a good girl scout leader, well, I just don’t sit still for long. One of these days I’ll do a ”day in my life” post. You’d be amazed what one woman can do when she doesn’t sit still for long. But I digress….this post isn’t about how I am super Mom. It’s about why I find it so hard to say no. Let me show you all the work (volunteer and paid) I have going on:

VOLUNTEER WORK

Daisy Girl Scout Leader
Girl Scout School Coordinator
PTCO Website Creation & Maintenance
School Website Creation & Maintenance (hopefully these two sites will be combined soon)
High School Girls Basketball Yearbook Creation

PAID WORK

Graphic Designer Full Time
Ebay Consignment for local fellow
Husband’s Personal Training Site & Newsletter (Technically not paid, but the more he makes, the more WE make.)

WORK I DO FOR ME

The Bookworm Blog – A book review site
Homes Made Right – The blog you are reading which is random family and life issues

So, this is what I have going on at the moment. There is another business I run, but I’ve been kind of slow on getting it going and that is as a Barefoot Books Ambassador. They have a beautiful line of children’s books, cd’s and gifts…and really so much more. Oh, and a blog to go with it, that hasn’t gone anywhere yet. Maybe in my spare time I’ll get to it. (yeah, spare time…when the kids are grown. hee hee)

Anyway, the area I really struggle in is the volunteer work. I’ve been doing girl scouts for 11 years so it’s more of a way of life for our family. But when other issues come up in the kids school, I just have a hard time saying no. I believe it stems from the fact that I want so much to be a good mother to my children. I want them to know that I care about them, their education and their well-being. The problem is that, well, they are kids….they don’t give a darn….yet. I know someday they will look back and see what I’ve done was for their good…won’t they??

Another thought that occurs to me is that my ego likes what I do. I like being known at my children’s school. I like people recognizing me. I like people knowing what I do for my children. I relate so much to my role as mother that I want everyone to see me and think “Wow. What a good mom!” Is that a bad thing? I guess it certainly can be, if that need interferes with the balance in my life.

I know I’m not the only one to struggle with this. So, how do you stop yourself when you are on this road?

Endless. Birthday. Parties.

deegibbons — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:23:55 +0000

I don’t know about you other moms, but I get kinda tired of every weekend having birthday parties for my kids classmates. Now maybe because I have 5 kids, it always seems like we have a party to go to, but I know Moms with only 1 kid that is just as busy as mine are. We are forever buying birthday gifts for our kids classmates. Running to the store for a gift, gift bag, card and tissues paper. So a couple of years ago, I joined a company called Cello In A Box. I sell gift wrap, bags, ribbons, cello, and so much more. I’ve never really run the business aspect of it, really. I’ve only used it to get the discount on the products since we use so much of it. I receive a 20% discount by entering my code into every order. CIAB has such a wide range of products and they are always adding new items so I never have to use the same item over and over. C’mon you know you always reuse those gifts bags….

If you are looking for a home based business, this one is different, and this one is fun! If you are involved in direct sales already, you will spice up your prodcuts that will result in more sales with our company. Products that will simplify lives and make life easier at home and in business. And this weekend only, they are offering

$3.99 New Rep Sign Ups

How do you sign up? Go to the web site www.celloinabox.com and click on shop online. From there you will register as a customer and place your order choosing your starter kit. (The small one is the kit you get for the $3.99 special) You will also need to send a signed agreement which you can find on the site as well under representative information. We prefer you fax or mail your agreements and not scan them as they contain information that is unsafe to send through email. Once we receive your information, we will set up your new account within 48 hours and your kit will be on the way! And I can help you every step of the way. From sign up to helping you get customers and much more!

If you sign up, there is a drop down box in the order process where you can choose a representative who introduced you to CIAB. They would be your sponsor and the person who would help you get started. That would be me, Deanna Gibbons. So please choose me and then email me to let me know you’ve signed up so I can send you a special gift and help you get started!

Potty Humor? Not as funny as you would expect

deegibbons — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:29:36 +0000

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I have 5 children. Four daughters and our one and only son, “the King” who is the baby of the family. After having 4 kids, I never anticipated being clueless about parenting a boy. But I begrudgingly admit it. Boys are completely different beings from birth. Aside from the need for constant attention from his Mommy, he is much more inquisitive than the girls ever were. (though the Pro comes pretty close)

So anyway, we’ve all heard the horror stories about cheeky little children stuffing Lord knows what into toilets and causing havoc, not to mention some hefty financial woes. But surprisingly, with my four daughters, I never had it happen. But then came the much anticipated “King”, who changed a whole lot of what I know about parenting. About a week ago, I was down in my room with my husband watching a movie while the kids were up in the living room doing various kid activities, such as tv, computer and general mess making. After a few minutes, I suddently realized it was awfully quiet upstairs, so I went up to inspect. Other than the Pro seated at the computer, the room was empty. Knowing my kids, I decided to go up to their rooms to see what they were doing, when lo and behold I passed the small bathroom near the living room. And what do I find but a very wet little boy, with the whole roll of toilet paper down the toilet, a floor that is covered in water and a plunger in his hand. Now this nearly 2 year old boy whom I couldn’t get to even SIT on a potty this last month was having a ball playing in one. I plucked him out of the bathroom, cleaned him up and dressed him and went down to deal with the toilet. It tooks some time to get it cleaned up and the toilet flushed but eventually I did. I thought everything was fine.

10:15pm Friday evening rolls around and the Pro flushes the toilet. It promptly starts overflowing and spilling out all over the place, dripping down through the floor air vent. (who puts one on the floor in a bathroom??) After exhausting every dirty towel in the house to clean it up, we then used clean ones. With every last towel soaked with disgusting toilet water, the mess was cleaned up. I tried for 10 minutes to unclog the drain and hubby tried for another 15. We finally gave up and left it. Closed the door and the next day called the plumber. He said he could snake it for $60. Okay, not bad.

Some 3 hours and $300 later, it was fixed. He actually had to pull the toilet off and get some kind of machine in to get this done. Turns out, not only was toilet paper shoved down the toilet, but so was some type of paper towel. (I bet money it was actually a few baby wipes though). Luckily we rent and so it was covered by our landlord. Okay so there are some pluses to renting as opposed to owning. Man, is this what the next 16 years will be like now that I have a son?? Why didn’t someone warn me?